Brick NYC New York, New York

“My love of cooking started in childhood making raviolis with my mother and grandmother,” Brick NYC's executive chef Warren Schierenbeck told Food Network in his finalist interview for the Chopped competition. The man behind Brick NYC's authentic Italian cuisine, Schierenbeck applies his childhood experiences when preparing large portions of colorful, handcrafted pastas, artisan bread, and cured meats. At wine-tasting and pizza-making events, Schierenbeck's team of convivial foodsmiths shares its culinary know-how, elucidating the olfactory properties of Italian and American varietals and teaching basic math by slicing pizzas into fractions. The restaurant's airy, rustic dining hall sets the stage for both dining and learning, surrounding patrons in brick walls draped with orange curtains.